


friendly wager

by amasveritas



Series: hook, line, and sinker [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-02-08 22:02:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1957689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amasveritas/pseuds/amasveritas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“A race?” He quirks an eyebrow, looking terribly unamused, he’s sure. “Why on earth would I do that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	friendly wager

**Author's Note:**

> this is a product of my boredom and samantha queenundisputed's terrible enabling.
> 
> I also may or may not have left it open for a prequel, but we'll see how that goes.

“A race?” He quirks an eyebrow, looking terribly unamused, he’s sure. “Why on earth would I do that?”

Ariel giggles. “Why not? It’s a nice day and the water is perfect; it could be fun! It’s been so long since I’ve been for a swim...”

Killian still hasn’t quite gotten used to the way she talks - fast and often, barely pausing for a breath. It’s quite fascinating, really; he knows it’s something to do with the way she lost her voice once before, like she’s afraid of it happening again.  It appears to be a comfort to her, just like the sea is. He's caught her out here at the beach more than once, staring wistfully into the water. Killian understands that - it's home.

“...the last time you went swimming?”

She’s waiting for him to answer, staring up at him with those wide eyes, those puppy dog eyes he cannot resist. Ariel is a picture of innocence, sitting on the beach, the waves just meeting her toes as it crawls up the shore. Her blood red hair shifts softly in the breeze, and all he can think about is running his fingers through it.

Ariel tilts her head slightly, and he forces himself back to the present. Killian can actually remember the last time he went swimming - voluntarily, at least - but he is more than aware that it has become something of a disastrous affair after the loss of his hand.

“Darling, I don’t know if you noticed, but swimming isn’t exactly a desirable pastime for someone so equipped as I.” Killian gestures to his hook and hopes that he needn’t have to elaborate.

“Oh,” Ariel says quietly, the corners of her mouth turning down.

“Even if I did have both my hands, it’s hardly a fair contest,” he says, gesturing to her lower body. “You are a mermaid, after all. It would be like me challenging you to a sword fight or a drinking contest...as humorous as it may be.”

Ariel rolls her eyes. “In case you missed it,” she stresses, holding a leg up and wiggling her toes for emphasis, “I’ve only had these things for about a month. I’m not even sure I know how to work them properly.”

Killian smirks and his eyes linger on her bare, shapely leg. “I could never miss those, love.” When she blushes, his grin widens. Ariel breaks eye contact, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of red. He can never get enough of the effect he has on her, and, if he plays his cards right, he could get her mind off this silly venture. Ariel is stubborn, he's learnt, and that is putting it mildly. There are only so few ways one can change her mind.

“There are so many other things I can picture us doing,” Killian says, inching closer, his voice low. “Much more enjoyable things.”

Ariel leaps up from the sand and scuttles away from him, giggling. “Oh, no,” she tries to sound stern, but the smile still lingers on her lips. “That’s not going to work, mister. Not this time. What, are you scared?”

His jaw clenches. No. He will not be goaded into a race - especially by this girl. He has absolutely nothing to prove!

“Scared of losing?” Ariel continues, and they both know exactly what she’s attempting to do. “To a girl?”

Unfortunately, it works. He wrenches off his coat, throwing it down on the sand. “I am not scared.”

She laughs again and pulls off her own shirt. “I won’t have my tail to use this time.”

This time, she says, and he tears his eyes off her taut stomach long enough to frown at her. Killian can remember the last time he went swimming, and it appears that she did as well. Ariel sends a coy look over her shoulder, stepping out of the skirt that Belle had lent her. He fumbles with the buttons on his vest, more concerned with watching her. Killian is impressed with her lack of modesty, but realises that it must be coupled with the fact clothes are something of a foreign concept to a mermaid (not that he was complaining).

Soon enough, his vest joins his coat on the beach, and he kicks his boots off. Ariel stands in the waves, her toes digging into the sand. She smiles over at him, more of a challenge than a simple grin. She takes a step back, eyes never leaving his, but before she dives in, he calls for her to wait.

“Care to make this wager a little more interesting?”

Ariel narrows her eyes and folds her arms across her chest. “Interesting how?”

Killian swaggers over to her, delighted to see her stand her ground. He loves the naivety and innocence about her, the way it takes almost nothing to make her blush. But he loves the spitfire, the stubbornness. Even the temper, one that had her pressing a knife to his throat not too long ago.

“If I win,” Killian says, brushing a strand of hair off her neck with his hook, “if I beat you in this silly race, you owe me a kiss.”

“A kiss?” Her eyes flicker down to his lips for the smallest of moments, before she juts her chin higher in the air in a perfect display of stubbornness. “And what if I win?”

He steps back and sweeps into a low bow. “Whatever you desire.”

She scrunches her face up in concentration, taking her time to think it over. He’s not sure if he wants her to give this up, deciding that it isn’t worth the risk. She doesn’t need to win this race to ask anything of him; he is a slave to her every whim.

“Deal,” Ariel says, and in one quick movement, she dives into the water.

Killian heaves out a sigh, unscrews his hook, and tosses it on his pile of clothes before following her in. The water is warm, thanks in large part to the summer sun. It isn’t the same as the oceans back home, but it is close to perfect. He wades further into the water, keeping his head tilted back as his legs pump. Being one limb down, Killian already starts to feel the burning in his thighs as he kicks hard, struggling to stay afloat. This was a bad idea, he thinks.

He spies Ariel breaking the surface, her hair flipping back and a bright smile on her face. “Isn’t this great?” she calls, her voice full of laughter.

“Yes, great,” Killian says through gritted teeth as water slips into his mouth, “bloody fantastic.”

“You can always quit now,” Ariel replies, swimming over to him. Her face softens when she sees him struggle, and she bites her lip. “This was a stupid idea. We should go back to shore-”

“Absolutely not,” he bites, out of stubbornness more than anything. “I’d like very much to claim my prize.”

Her eyes sparkle with a hint of mischief and she smiles. “Fine. Just know that if I have to save you from drowning, I’m going to tell everyone in town.”

“So be it.”

“Right.” She nods, lifting an arm out of the water and pointing to a buoy floating a fair distance away. “First one there wins. Ready? Three…two- _hey_!”

He dives away before she gets to one, but there’s no time for a triumphant laugh. Killian pushes himself, harder, faster, ignoring the pain. This is a matter of pride now, although the thought of a kiss from the fair mermaid is more than enough to keep him going. Saltwater seeps in through his mouth and his nostrils, and he can say with enough conviction that he hasn’t missed that.

Ariel isn’t near him, and Killian hopes his head start rattled her, that he has enough of a lead now. Though, to be perfectly frank, he isn’t exactly searching for her; most of his concern is firmly placed with his own well being for the moment.

He reaches the buoy gasping for air. The muscles in his legs and arms are burning and his chest is tight. Killian can’t see Ariel - he can barely see anything, his eyes are so blurry - but there’s a small moment where he thinks he won. He allows himself a laugh, before it dissolves into a hacking cough.

“You cheated,” he hears her say. When the saltwater clears from his eyes and he looks up, he sees that Ariel has perched herself on the buoy, a little pout on her pretty face.

“Pirate,” is all he can manage at first. He coughs a few more times and attempts to suck in a deep breath. “My celebrations are premature, I take it?

Ariel slips back into the water as her pout turns to a grin. “These legs aren’t so bad.”

He nods slightly, turning away. Killian doesn’t look her in the eye as he tries to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut. His chest heaves, and he doesn’t think he can make it back to shore in the current state - wounded pride and aching muscles.

“Well, my lady,” he says, forcing a grin to his face, “what is your desire? What will you have of me?”

Ariel floats and bobs in the waves, tilting her head to the side as she ponders. She looks beautiful, Killian thinks, even more beautiful than she did on the shore. Ariel belongs here in the sea, not stuck behind castle walls with a prince. Her eyes are sparkling, her cheeks are flushed and splashes of water drip down her face and neck.

Killian isn’t fully aware that she swims closer to him until her lips are on his. It’s a soft, salty kiss, more chaste than he would like. Yet it doesn’t bother him so much when Ariel leans in and deepens the kiss. He responds in kind but only for a short moment, before she pulls away.

“Is that what you get for winning the race?” he says with a roguish little smirk.

She giggles and swims backwards; Ariel is so at ease in the water, so carefree. “Oh, no. That was just for you. I’ll let you know when I decide what else I want.”

With another airy laugh, Ariel dives back beneath the waves, leaving Killian resting against the buoy. He still struggles to catch his breath, but he’s not entirely sure the race is to blame.

 


End file.
